House Explosion In Morris County Sparks Fundraiser To Support Family

MORRIS COUNTY, NJ — A Morris County family lost everything after their house exploded over the weekend in Roxbury Township.

On Sunday, a gas explosion occurred at a house on Righter Road in Roxbury just after 10:30 a.m., according to Roxbury Fire Official Mike Pellek, leaving the home structurally unsafe for its residents, the Howey family.

"Christina, Kevin, and their dog, Charlie, experienced a horrible house fire on Sunday, 1/19, leaving them with an uninhabitable home. they lost a lot of personal belongings," said Jessica Tappen, who organized a GoFundMe page fundraiser.

According to the Byram Township Fire Department, they were dispatched to assist at the structure fire, and no firefighters were injured in the blaze.

Pellek told TAPinto Roxbury that it appeared the former owners of the house at 140 Righter Road did not properly seal a disconnected natural gas line, which allowed gas to leak into the laundry room.

The explosion and subsequent fire destroyed the garage and compromised the house's main support beam.

As of Tuesday morning, the GoFundMe has raised more than $15,000, just shy of the $20,000 goal set by Tappen. The fundraiser can be found here.

"Please consider donating, even just the smallest amount, to help them with near future expenses, such as temporary housing, clothes, dog food/toys for Charlie, etc," Tappen wrote.